Last week, our UK healthcare marketing agency moved into new purpose-built offices on London’s South Bank, and for the first time we are alongside our colleagues in other Ogilvy agencies. I believe Churchill’s view on how buildings inevitably shape us, and our behaviours, is going to be particularly relevant during this exciting new phase of our agency’s evolution.

Much work and planning obviously goes into any major office relocation, but never has this been truer than of the journey we have taken in designing our new office environment. Supported along the way by experts in office design, human behaviour, space planning and collaborative working, we believe we have moved our team into an environment that truly has the ability to change the way we work.

Some of the main themes – observed here already in our first week – relating to the way our buildings and environment shape us and our work include:

New neighbour, new perspective: The office is designed with barely any ‘fixed desk’ positions. Everyone is encouraged to sit in a different place every day. This approach, although perhaps feared by some initially, has been a unanimous success. On a daily basis we hear about the benefit of drawing on new perspectives, “getting a different point of view,” or just learning from what someone else is doing. Fixed desking already seems a distant ”missed opportunity” from the past.

Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate: In our new space, gone are the days of endless banks of desks, replaced instead by a range of different zones and work settings: café tables, sofas, booths, work pods and benches. The single aim: drive collaboration. And it works. Provide people with the spaces to meet, share and grow and they do it…relentlessly. Already we see that what used to be achieved via 30 emails and half a day, can be improved upon by a 15-minute chat on the sofa.

Break the silos: Ogilvy Healthworld has long held the belief that the best work comes from channelling neutral thinking and big ideas that span all marketing disciplines. And yet the agency’s physical”geography” has in some ways lagged behind and remained siloed. Until now. The completely open-plan setting we now have does not speak of any ”divisions” or ”departments,” just of a truly integrated business. And it’s this integration that will in turn lead to even bigger and better thinking for our clients.

Be inspired: And finally, it’s amazing to see already the refreshed energy and passion that is derived simply by ”being” in a different place. We are lucky, yes, in being situated along London’s ”creative mile” on the South Bank, surrounded by leading arts and cultural establishments and an inspiring creative ”vibe.” And we are lucky too to have one of the most inspiring views of new and old London stretched out in front of us across the Thames. But these facts alone are not what drive the greatest levels of invigoration. The mere fact we are in a new space, with new and interesting stimuli, further supports the notion that new buildings, fresh environments, ”change” us.

So, in conclusion, we believe our new building genuinely has started to ”shape us” already, and will continue to do so. It feels like a rich and precious time for the agency and its staff to feed off each other in different ways and be inspired by our new environment to search for greatness for our clients and their brands.

We invite any current employees, future employees, clients and prospects alike, to come and experience this invigorating environment for themselves, and experience a little of what Churchill had in mind.

Three years ago, while living in Shanghai, I wrote about how the world would be witnessing two ancient, amazing theatres of faith and perseverance that test the extent of human endurance and also showcase how transmittable diseases can spread much faster in a small space of time, across huge geographies.

The first is the celebration of Chinese New Year, which is celebrated across China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore as national holidays, but nowhere more so than in Mainland China. The mass exodus from cities to villages to celebrate the new lunar year involves nearly 600 million Chinese covering over 3.6 billion journeys in under 2 weeks in a grueling journey back to their hometowns, and back again. Compare this with just about 100 million Americans travelling domestically over the peak holiday season. 1

The second is India’s Kumbh Mela, an ancient pilgrimage held every 12 years in India, where the equivalent of the entire population of New York congregates daily to bathe in the sacred rivers to attain spirituality. The Mela itself is a huge planning exercise for various NGOs and health bodies who need to ensure that millions of people stay free from diseases and health risks. 2

Nearly 3 years on since my last write-up, as one gets ready for the whimsical yet wise Year of the Monkey that starts on February 8th and the Kumbh Mela reaches its auspicious 12-year cycle, it’s an opportune moment to think about how these two acts of faith invariably must have a health impact that affects hundreds of millions in just a matter of weeks.

In China, getting from one part of the country to another is an ordeal at this time. Stakes are highest on long-haul routes, and the train route from Beijing to Urumqi is about as long as they come. The trip will take over 40 hours and covers 1,998 miles to finally reach the northwest Xinjiang Province.

Passengers crammed in seats share their floor, bathroom and luggage space with the standing passengers. For the next 2 days, migrant workers rub shoulders with bubbly university students. Policemen, cooks and white collar workers face each other across cramped booths, and the combination of card games, grain alcohol, cigarettes and forced cohabitation offers an alarming chance of communicable diseases—especially when faced with travellers moving from one side of the country to the other, from all walks of life and backgrounds, alongside a lack of comprehensive vaccination posing some alarming questions. While there are no available facts on this, it is something to think about, especially if it’s giving a virus the chance to be carried from one end of China to the other in the approximately 3 billion+ journeys that are already taking place.

If one interprets the Monkey’s characteristics as an outlook for 2016, it would probably tell us to stop all this unnecessary banter about health and simply ‘Don’t Worry. Be Monkey.’ One can’t argue with thousands of years of celestial knowledge as simple as that.

Moving from humanity’s largest migration to a side of Asia that reinforces the role of nature in Asian values, the ‘Ardh Kumbh Mela’ is set to take place by the banks of all the four rivers considered sacred by Hindus in India—Ganges, Yamuna, Saraswati and Godawari. Rivers have always held a special place in Hindu mythology, as these are considered to be the carriers of life and fertility. This fair is perhaps the largest and peaceful gathering in any religion around the world. It never ceases to amaze anyone who has visited during this time.

Mark Twain, the intrepid traveller that he was, visited the Mela in 1895 and best summarized it by saying, “It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining”.

You can’t mention the Mela without hearing a comparison with the Burning Man, the offbeat American gathering that takes place in the Nevada desert. While they are vastly different in size, they do share the sameness that one would experience in temporary ”pop-up” cities that appear and disappear over a matter of weeks. In terms of healthcare data, medical tents that offer emergency services see about 5,000 patients across 10 medical tents a day. In all of this, though, at the Kumbh Mela, which can swell to 60 times the attendance of the Burning Man, health clinics are likely to utilize emergency medical services only once a day. That’s a remarkable display of how massive crowds can manage themselves relatively safely and get home in one piece. This however is only one part of it. The less spiritual fact is that rivers like the Ganges (considered extremely holy) are unfortunately filled with chemical wastes, sewage and even human and animal remains which carry major health risks by either direct bathing in the dirty water (e.g.: Bilharziasis infection) or by drinking (the fecal-oral route).

I refer to these two large-scale Asian events – the advent of the new lunar year and the Mela – because they act as a perfect mirror to what drives this wide populace in its multitudes of pilgrimages and celebrations. A perfect diaspora of what represents humanity in all its colours, shapes and forms. It is at once tangible in its tribulation and intangible in providing confidence and enlightenment. The health risks are real, but not enough to keep hundreds of millions of Chinese from seeing their loved ones again, or for tens of millions of Indians to reconnect with their inner spiritual self. A ritual that has gone on for millenia.

When we interpret the world around us knowing such a mass of humanity is going to such levels of endurance, I believe it offers us a chance to understand what drives us against such odds and risks. Maybe it’s within these individuals, each striving to get home or to a new spiritual plane, that the bigger picture can be seen. Health is rational, emotions are not.

So in this age of Aquarius, while millions strip off their clothes to soak in sacred muddy rivers halfway across the world, and an entire population crams into trains, buses and any available transport to get home to see loved oneslet’s pause and say, ”What’s to worry? It’s all Monkey.”

“Gong Xi Fa Cai” – Happy New Lunar Year of the Monkey.

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Ogilvy CommonHealth’s Ashley Evens, senior engagement strategist and Nelson Figueiredo, VP, director of technology, applied their experience as a healthcare communicators to identify the most impactful technologies from their year’s CES.

Each year, technologists, strategists, start-ups, major manufacturers, and consumers gravitate to Las Vegas for CES. This is becoming the premier event to showcase new consumer electronics, technology, and products. With the growth of healthcare as a key technology topic, CES is also an important venue for healthcare brands and influencers.

Ogilvy CommonHealth’s Ashley Evens and Nelson Figueiredo spent several days on the floor at CES and have curated the following list of products and technologies to watch:

CaptureProof: like HIPAA-secure Snapchat…only better

CaptureProof is a new HIPAA-secure platform for sharing media and data between patients and providers. CaptureProof allows doctors to monitor patient progress and symptoms, triage via media, consult colleagues, and link to wearable devices and EHRs.

It’s recently been used in pilots for remote physical therapy (reducing in-person appointments by 75% and resulting in an overall cost savings of $7,500 per patient) and its diagnostic capabilities are currently being studied by the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at MAYO Neurology.

Currently an invite is necessary to set up an account. However, we’re in discussion about the various ways brands and agencies can utilize the platform and looking forward to developing partnership opportunities with them.

Holograms still have show-stopping power

With the exception of Shaq walking the showroom floor, preordering robots, when it comes to show-stopping power, hologram technology still reigns supreme.

The Kin-mo booth caused the steadiest stream of pandemonium and buzz at the event, literally, stopping hordes of people in their tracks and compelling them to ask questions and snap pictures and video.

Here at Ogilvy CommonHealth we’re exploring the practical application of Holograms in medical education and are working on making the technology less cost-prohibitive for use in the field.

Meet flic, the wireless smart button that could revolutionize the way patients communicate with providers

Flic is a small wireless button that you can stick anywhere. It can be programmed to send data and commands to apps on Android or iOS devices.

Swedish developers, Shortcut Labs, designed flic with simplicity, accessibility and safety in mind. It’s currently being used to streamline everyday tasks like controlling your connected home, selecting entertainment and ordering food and taxis.

But the ease of use makes it an intriguing solution for things like symptom reporting and tracking between patient and provider, treatment adherence, atmospheric or environmental controls, and accessibility for patients with limited mobility.

VR was king at CES and controller tech is on the rise

This year the Virtual Reality headset manufacturers exhibiting at CES were too numerous to count and VR environments demoing experiences in space, tech, automotive, entertainment, health and fitness were among the most engaging booth draws on the showroom floor.

While everyone seems to agree that VR is going to revolutionize medical education, it’s recent advances in VR controllers and the impact that they might have on rehabilitation and treatment methods that we found most inspiring at CES this year.

Two groups in particular, 3DRudder and Rink, are leading innovation in foot and hand controls, respectively, and are excited to explore applications for their devices in the healthcare space. Each offer the opportunity to gamify the treatment process in new and exciting ways and extend mobility exercises into the VR realm.

Sensum, the marketing industry’s new emotions experts

Turning emotions into data, measuring advertising’s effect on the subconscious, tracking the cognitive unconscious, things that used to be qualitative can now be quantitative thanks to Belfast-based Sensum.

They’re already working with some of the biggest media companies and agencies in the world to measure the effectiveness of messages, customer engagement, and usability.

Whether it’s a live event, or a product that needs to be tested for implicit response, new packaging, or a video message, Sensum has the platform and technology you need to capture the real-time emotional response from your audience.

CES is proving to be a venue for innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase their solutions for healthcare. As the empowered patient and modern physician begin to leverage new technology for better outcomes, there is an increasingly more important role for connected medicine, wearables, and mobile technology to help us live healthier lives.

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Vegas baby! It’s the home to Elvis impersonators, endless entertainment, and, come each January, the largest consumer electronics show in the US. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a global technology tradeshow showcasing the latest innovations set to impact our businesses and our lives. Since 1967, CES has been bringing together the most innovative minds across the technology, healthcare, automotive, and robotics sectors, as well as many other industries. Attendees are inundated with a vast amount of futuristic electronics and ideas unveiled each year at the event. And year upon year, this event has become an increasingly hot topic around our agency. Those fortunate enough to attend come away with the feeling they’ve found themselves a golden ticket to the innovative kingdom that is CES.

To get at the heart of what attendees are experiencing during the event, we sat down with Joe Youssef, engagement strategist at Ogilvy CommonHealth and a veteran of CES. Take a look at his firsthand account of how the event has changed and grown in recent years.

OCHWW:
How has the CES evolved over the past couple of years?

JY:
CES used to be an annual tradeshow focused on consumer electronics only. The show has expanded its footprint into all areas of technology: healthcare, gaming, automotive, etc. There is something for everyone in every sector.

OCHWW:
How does CES compare to other industry events (tech, health, etc.)?

JY:
CES isn’t comparable to the majority of industry events due to its diversity and size. SXSW is the only event that comes to mind as being comparable. CES brings a small city of people together, representing different industries, all looking for the latest and greatest tech, trends and business opportunities.

Between the breakout sessions (spanning the multitude of industries), the conference keynote speakers, and the huge the showroom floor exhibiting the latest and greatest tech, it has something to interest everyone.

OCHWW:
What themes at CES have shown the most promise over the past few years?

JY:
Wearables and 3D printing have definitely shown the most promise in recent years.

Wearables have become more intuitive, interoperable, and focused on providing meaningful outcomes for consumers. 3D printers are becoming cheaper, smaller and larger in size (depending on whether you are using for commercial or personal use), and have potential to disrupt many industries as innovative printing materials are developed.

OCHWW:
What survival tips would you give to a first-time attendee at CES?

JY:
Don’t try to do everything during your time at CES. Planning is key to enjoying the show and all it has to offer. Pick the top 2 or 3 things you want to do or see each day. There is NO WAY one person can do and see everything CES has to offer. Be flexible. Most importantly, make sure you bring comfortable shoes with you!

OCHWW:
With a focus on healthcare, what are some of the breakout products that have debuted at CES?

JY:
Wearables come to mind. The ability for health care professionals to monitor patients remotely and adjust treatment in real-time based on collected data is a real game changer. Improvements in genome sequencing and reduction in price are quite incredible. The availability of this data can really unlock the keys to curing and treating the ailments of our aging population.

OCHWW:
What makes for a great speaking event at CES?

JY:
A great speaking event starts with a prepared speaker. Someone who knows how to read a room and deliver a speech relevant to their audience is key. It also helps if there isn’t an ulterior motive to sell your goods or services to the audience. It waters down the message and kills your credibility as a speaker. Focusing on delivering an experience that is enlightening and educational is what makes for the best speaking events.

For more information on CES and to see all the action from the ground in Las Vegas, follow OCHWW on Twitter, @OCHWW.

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How did you feel the last time someone truly thanked you?Not just the mumbled thanks for holding the door or handing you a tissue: a true, heartfelt expression of gratitude.

Being thankful can help others and it can help us. Grateful people reported fewer aches and pains and were more likely to engage in healthy activities, according to a study published in Personality and Individual Differences.1 A separate study found that gratitude can lead to increased self-esteem and better relationships with team members and supervisors.2

In addition to the happiness boost that comes from focusing on the good things in your life, saying a simple “thank you” can also bring a huge boost to your career. Recognizing the contributions of your colleagues helps to build stronger, more dedicated teams, and leads your peers to look to you as a leader. Gratitude, like praise, can help to reinforce positive behaviors, leading to a culture of success within your team and organization. Gratitude is also a great way to “pay it forward,” building good will for those moments when you need others to help you achieve your goals or take a risk for you.

Expressing gratitude can also help you to build a professional network. Recent research has confirmed what we have all known for years—that saying “thank you” to a new acquaintance increases the likelihood that he or she will share contact information with you, helping you build your professional network (and make a new friend!).3

So how you can implement gratitude in your career? The first step is simply recognizing that business is a team sport. Has a supervisor taken time out of their day to answer your questions or train you for your next big move? Did a colleague stay late to help you meet a deadline? A sincere, heart-felt thanks can make someone’s day.

Ogilvy CommonHealth also offers a great way to say thank you through the You Earned It! program. This program was created to allow team members to reflect on the contributions necessary to achieve a great outcome and publicly recognize colleagues. According to Darlene Dobry, managing partner, the program has been tremendously successful across all units and skill centers. “It is great to see how infectious the program is. People reach out to thank others and the feeling spreads. It is particularly nice to see people reaching out across departments to thank people they don’t always have a chance to work with and building lasting collaborations.” So the next time a colleague does something great, send them some YEI points and your heartfelt thanks.

“Thank you” may be two simple words, but the recognition and appreciation encapsulated in that short phrase has the power to transform you, your colleagues, and your organization.

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Throughout our careers we all may come up with great ideas, but they don’t get too far if they don’t come across to our clients.

The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas, is a great read! Written by G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa, the book offers a new approach to idea selling. The word “woo” in the book is defined as the ability to “win others over” to your ideas without coercion, using relationship-based and emotionally intelligent persuasion.

The Art of Woo has a four-step approach to their idea-selling process. 1) Persuaders need to polish their ideas for the social networks that will lead them to decision makers. 2) Confront the most common obstacles that can sink ideas before they get started. 3) Pitch your idea in a compelling way. 4) Secure both individual and organizational commitments. Throughout the book the author reference historical business cases that helps bring this approach to life.

As you can imagine, individual personality plays a key role in how you influence others. The book includes two personalized “diagnostic” tests that readers can take to discover their persuasion strengths and weaknesses (I won’t share my results!) One of the diagnostics is the “Six Channels Survey,” designed to help people learn which of the key channels of influence they feel compelled to use most often at work, and which they would prefer to use if given a choice. These channels include Authority, Rationality, Vision, Relationships, Interests, and Politics. Throughout the book you learn how to better understand these six channels.

The Persuasion Styles Assessment is in the book, and helps readers determine the degrees of assertiveness and natural social intelligence they bring to the idea-selling process.

The Art of Woo goes on to describe five distinctive styles:

The Driver—a highly assertive person who gives only limited attention to the social environment

The Commander—a grove-like person who has a quieter demeanor

The Chess Player—a quieter person who attends strategically to the social environment

The Promoter—a gregarious type who uses high levels of social intelligence

The Advocate—who strikes the balance among all the others

Definitely an entertaining read, and certainly relevant to what we all do every day.

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How many times have you been asked by family and friends “what type of work do you do?” And, how many times have you struggled with how to answer the question? How exactly do you respond in a way that they understand? Do you share the details of your daily job, the challenges you may encounter? Do you focus on the trials and tribulations of the daily routine? Or, do you express a sense of the work you are involved in-the mission you dedicate your life to each and every day?

If you’ve read The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness published by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide in 2009, you know that it speaks to the 8 habits of creative communities. They include courage, idealism, curiosity, playfulness, candour, intuition, free-spiritedness, and persistence. The overall messages are geared toward how to turn bad habits, discontent, and sour attitudes into good. And while the book generally speaks to the corporate culture, the work, it also serves up lessons for how we can improve as human beings on a personal level, how to create better life experiences, the work.

Recent television news reports smack of intolerance, bully behavior, lack of teamwork, and lack of respect. If commentators, other “leaders”, and global influencers worked a bit harder at the 8 habits, wouldn’t we be in a better state of mind and actually do a better job at motivating and helping people instead of shutting them down and making them feel disillusioned, in a state of hopelessness, despair, and unhappiness? The “work”, in my mind, is the inner sense of positivity, of paying forward, of keeping true to yourself in an environment of negativity; of lending a hand, of championing an idea when it’s not popular, of having the courage to stand up for what is right regardless of who is advocating, and for defending the character of the effort, having someone’s back, especially when you know that they have given their time and made every effort to move the needle forward. Whether you are in the workplace or at “your home base,” being principled-at all times-is the work.

So perhaps when someone asks you again what you do, think a bit about describing the work you do versus the job you do. What is your contribution to improving healthcare in a positive way for our clients and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole? What eventually benefits the consumers? For example, helping patients who need financial assistance to gain access to the therapies they need to improve their well-being. The more we focus on the ideas and campaigns we create, the honesty and spirit we bring to work each and every day, the teamwork we encourage, the wisdom and passion we pass on to the junior staff, the energy we exhibit and the expressions of thanks we send out, the more grace we practice, the more we instill energy and pride in the organization, we create the place of happiness the book speaks about. In addition, there are many wonderful, positive, and impressive statements of work and demonstrations of community support (whether it be local, state, or global) that Ogilvy employees contribute to on a regular basis. To name a few, there are the personal mentoring efforts, the Chrysalis Initiative, YouEarnedIt, Community Service Day, AHA Heartwalk, Tunnel to Towers Run and Walk, Jersey Cares Coat Drive, and the Community Foodbank of NJ, and Dress for Success. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of similar organizations Ogilvy employees touch in hopes to create a better world.

So ask yourself ….. What line of work are you in???

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Can you remember the days before DM, hashtags and emojis? When we had to call our friends on their landlines to arrange when and where to meet, hoping they would arrive at the right time and right place?

It’s hard to believe that 10 years ago Facebook had only just been founded and Twitter hadn’t even launched, and yet social media is now an established phenomenon that most of us can’t imagine living without.

The wonder of social media has benefited modern society greatly and revolutionised the way we communicate. On the surface, these platforms may seem harmless but in reality, some research has found that they may actually be detrimental to our mental wellbeing. On the flip side, social media can provide people living with mental health problems a platform to communicate freely and connect with others who can provide support.

So should we be limiting our use of social media for a better quality of life, or is it actually providing some with a much-needed outlet? We hosted a panel discussion at Social Media Week in London, where experts shared their insights on this very topic.

An interesting theme that was raised during the discussion was personal identity and the effect that social media has on how people regard their place in the world and define themselves. Dr Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist, revealed that nowadays it’s not just the people we know who help to shape our identity—having an online profile means that validation can come from complete strangers with no real vested interest in us. This constant feeling of being assessed by others can have a negative effect on our mental health and make us want to always make a good impression, even to those who don’t know us.

Another thought-provoking point that was highlighted, by the panellist and blogger Mark Brown, was that having immediate access to carefully crafted selfies means that we are the first generation to know exactly what we look like and how we come across to strangers at all times. More and more we are presenting ourselves as near to perfect as possible, but the truth is that we don’t always know what’s going on behind a filtered online persona. Stories that we see in the media about suicide that link to the use of social media highlight that a self-curated online identity can so easily conceal the saddening reality.

While there were discussions around the negative effects that social media can have on our lives, Chris Cox, Communications Director at Mind, emphasised how social media forums, such as Elefriends, provide platforms for people to communicate freely about their condition. They also give people an opportunity to connect with others who can relate to them or who can provide comfort and counsel.

So is social media a good or bad thing for mental health? Because social media is such a new and emerging area, it’s difficult to say at this point, but what is clear is that, used in the right way, it can be a valuable resource that exposes us to information and people who we would have never been able to access before. As our panel concluded, social media is neither good nor bad; it’s a tool to amplify the voice of the people.

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When I started at my first agency, after 10 years at a medical journal, I knew there would be things I would need to learn. I knew the work would have a different focus, and there would be more people and more steps involved in going from manuscript to finished product. But I was not prepared for the flood of unfamiliar acronyms and jargon I encountered. Sure, I understood what a word-for-word (aka WFW or W4W) was, I knew that “stet” meant I had been overruled, and I could expand NCCN without even looking it up. But what in the world did “PRC,” “AFP,” or “CTA” mean?

Fortunately, I had extremely helpful team members and colleagues who got me up to speed on all the new terminology, and within a month or two I was rattling off cryptic acronyms with the best of them. But as I gained more experience in the agency setting, with different accounts, different clients, and eventually different agencies, I realized that even within the insular world of agency life, there was incredible variation. It’s only been five years (and three different clients) for me so far, but I’ve already heard more than six different terms used to describe the committee each client has to review work for medical accuracy, legal risk, and regulatory compliance. And what do we call those hardworking folks who take our beautifully constructed print and digital pieces out into the field? No, not “reps”—they’re COSs, FMLs, TBMs, AEs, ARMs, and probably hundreds of other titles I’ve yet to come across.

There’s not much we can do to stem the tide of terminology that comes at us from clients, regulatory bodies, professional associations, and our own organizations. Each agency, each client, each branch of healthcare, each disease state, comes with its own lexicon that we must master. We are in the business of communication, and so it falls to us to absorb the unique language we find ourselves awash in, and learn to harness its power and beauty to shape our clients’ messages in a way that will captivate, educate, and effect change.

Still, language doesn’t need to be an impenetrable barrier, keeping out the uninitiated and insulating the inner circle from the rest of the world. Let’s make sure we’re taking the time to explain unfamiliar terms to new team members, keeping tools like style guides and cheat sheets up to date and easily accessible, and above all, talking to each other—across accounts, departments, and disciplines—about what has worked for us, what our challenges are, and what opportunities we have to explore new paths and keep growing as creative entities. And don’t be afraid to ask questions—especially if you’re new. We promise, we won’t laugh when you ask what a “job bag” is.

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With all but one or two award shows done and dusted for the year, I can honestly say that I have been delighted to see the standard of creativity in healthcare grow from strength to strength. It’s been inspiring, but at the same time it’s been frustrating.

Recently I judged at one of the major healthcare award shows along with some of the industry’s best—people I respect deeply.

We had some interesting conversations around a few of the entries. The main discussion point being, is this really health?

Saving dogs, a hashtag for mums about how amazing their child is, helping hungry people or recruiting medical staff for the armed forces—for me seems broader than health or not even health at all.

We did discuss the fact that it lifted the game in terms of thinking and execution, but it was acting as a guide stick of where we need to be rather than being a true health entry.

But do these types of entries make the interactive visual aid that has been under the red pen of medical advisors feel boring? Does it make the print ad idea that has made it through the treacherous journey of a pharmaceutical marketing department and research group feel flat? Does it make the medical education program that the regulatory body has scrutinised to the inch of its life look dull?
The answer is yes.

There is no place for pharmaceutical work in a current healthcare awards show. If it isn’t bringing you on the brink of tears or changing the world as we know it, it won’t get a real look in. It will be blindsided.

So should we have a healthcare awards show? Why not simply have a health category in the mainstream shows?

Think we know the answer to that one.

The bigger question is (and part of the reason why award shows were there in the first place), how are we going to lift pharmaceutical communications to a better standard? How are we going to inspire true healthcare agencies that live and breathe health every day?

I believe they deserve to be judged in a very different way.
The idea and great execution, without a doubt should be there. But pharmaceutical communications goes deeper than that. It’s the strategy that creatively and intelligently weaves its way through the minefield of regulations and treatment indications. The medical writing that’s taken highly scientific information and made it code-compliant yet highly persuasive to a cynical physician.

So with all this in mind, I believe we do need an awards show for healthcare, but it has to be very different from the shows we currently have. They are mostly celebrating work that’s for the good of man (or animal) kind and I believe you could tack anything to that and call it health.

Pharma is a weird and wonderful world and a very specialised one, so when it comes to judging creativity, should it not be seen through a slightly different lens?

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